If you are unhappy with the color of your teeth, you may be considering having a professional whitening treatment from your dentist. There are actually two primary types of whitening treatments that dentists provide. The first consists of a series of trays that are custom-made to fit your mouth; you're then sent home with the trays and instructions for using them on a daily basis for about two weeks. The second consists of a laser-activated bleaching protocol that your dentist carries out in their office. While there are advantages and downsides to both options, laser-based treatments work better for many patients. Here are some reasons why.

The procedure is much faster.

If you want whiter teeth for an event in a week or two, you may not have time for the tray-based approach. You'll often have to wait several days between the initial appointment when your mouth is measured and the second appointment when you're given the custom-made trays. Then it takes a few weeks of using the trays to get the results you desire. The laser-based approach is much faster. You will leave your dentist's office with a smile that is many shades whiter, and it will only take an hour or two to achieve those results. 

You'll get over any side-effect sensitivity faster.

Tooth sensitivity is a side effect of most any whitening procedure. It almost always goes away on its own within a few weeks after the treatment. However, you will have to deal with it longer in total when you opt for tray-based whitening, since you'll be reapplying the whitening products for several weeks. With laser-based whitening, the treatment is done — and then your teeth can immediately start recovering from the sensitivity.

You don't have to take time out of your day more than once.

Using whitening trays takes a lot of time out of your day on a regular basis. You have to sit around and allow the whitening solution to work for at least 30 minutes. Remembering to do this daily can be a hassle, especially if you have a busy schedule. When you have laser-based whitening, you only need to make time for that one appointment, and then you're all done.

To learn more about the advantages of laser-based tooth whitening, contact a dental clinic like Suncoast Dental Center. There are several brand-name systems that use this same technology; your dentist can tell you specifically about the one they use.